Best Reason to Skip the Salsa Bar

The Quesadilla at Taqueria Monte Cristo

You know the taqueria routine: Order your tortilla-wrapped sustenance of choice, pay, and head to the salsa bar to fill up little plastic cups with your favorite salsas. Well, what if these condiments were already on the plate, waiting for you, ripe for the dipping? This is the question that Taqueria Monte Cristo answers with its Monte Cristo Quesadilla ($6.50). This quesadilla isn't just paired with hot, mild, and tomatillo, but a super trio of condiment-cohorts that take the quesadilla up a notch: There's a simple, fresh salsa verde, sure. But there's also a chipotle mayonnaise, well-suited for the carnitas and pastor, and a zippy, garlicky cilantro-pesto sauce that is best enjoyed with the carne asada. You won't find those flavors at the salsa bar, though your burrito-eating friends will still enjoy their mild avocado salsa, or, for a kick, the "hot" salsa, chock full of pepper seeds. Monte Cristo stays open till midnight to satisfy your late-night quesadilla cravings.